


Bent and Broken, But Still Good

by CT0922PrivateInk



Series: Haikyuu!! Dæmon AU [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Angst, Autistic Kageyama Tobio, Awkward Kageyama Tobio, Brother-Sister Relationships, Car Accidents, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Genderfluid Kageyama Tobio, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Ableism, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Light Angst, Multi, No Romance, Platonic Relationships, Scars, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-02-25 23:42:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18712081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CT0922PrivateInk/pseuds/CT0922PrivateInk
Summary: What’s in a family?Snapshots of the Haikyuu!! ensemble with their family, in a Daemon AU for extra flavor (and because I’m absolutely weak for daemon AUs).Sporadic updates.





	1. Altschmerz | Tobio & Haruka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Referenced child abuse, referenced bullying/verbal abuse, referenced homophobia, referenced ableism (mostly vague), some bits of strong language

 

 _ **n**._  _weariness with the same old issues that you’ve always had—the same boring flaws and anxieties you’ve been gnawing on for years, which leaves them soggy and tasteless and inert, with nothing interesting left to think about, nothing left to do but spit them out and wander off to the backyard, ready to dig up some fresher pain you might have buried long ago._

* * *

 

Tobio tossed his ball mindlessly, over and over, watched it float up toward the ceiling then drop back down into his waiting hands. Jun sat across his hips in the form of a large dog breed he didn’t know the name of. Her broad head nosed up against his side, and he paused momentarily in his tosses to scratch the soft fur between her ears. She hummed contentedly, tail softly wagging. He picked his ball back up and resumed his evening ritual of practicing his sets (he had to be better.)

Then a knock came from his door and his fingers tightened around the volleyball (It was too easy for the outside to sink with his fingertips, he needed a new one). “Tobio, it’s Haruka.” _I know_ , he wanted to say. His brother was the only other person in their grandmother’s house for the next two months, since she was out of the country. (Atsuchi didn’t like staying in one place for too long, despite being in her eighties. She did let them live in the house while she was gone, which was nice.)

He missed her. Haruka was okay, in his opinion, but there wasn’t much of a brotherly connection (That had been rotted by years of comparisons and stabbing words from when Haruka hadn’t known better.) The most they did together was exist in the same space, occasionally speaking of their respective clubs. Tobio in Karasuno’s Volleyball Club, and Haruka in his college’s Culinary Club (Tobio hadn’t bothered to remember the name of the college, their mother would’ve been disappointed no matter where Haruka went if it wasn’t Harvard).

”Can we come in?” Haruka spoke again, muffled voice filtering through the wood of Tobio’s door (He hadn’t raised his voice in years. He wasn’t sure if his brother could even yell anymore, or if he’d even yelled in the first place). Tobio responded with an affirmative noise, and his door creaked open (it always did that, he was used to it even if the noise grated on his ears).

The light brown form of Manami (Haruka’s Australian Kelpie dæmon. Eager, loyal, smart, devoted. She settled later than she should’ve.) trotted in before her partner followed, sitting on the floor at the foot of his bed and Haruka did the same (they never got too close).

“We should talk.” His brother said, looking at the floor. Tobio frowned, sitting up straight. There’d never been a ‘We should talk’ before. It was always a ‘How are you’, a ‘You doing okay?’, or a ‘How’s volleyball?’. (It used to be ‘Fuck off and die’.)

”About what?” He asked, voice low. His fingers twitched around the volleyball.

”About what I said. Back then. I never apologized for myself.” Haruka gestured lightly with his hands, as if searching for the right words while trying to placate Tobio (He’d always been a hand talker). His brother sighed, moving to sit on the bed at Tobio’s feet. Manami slid her head onto his lap, silent so far. She was probably letting Haruka talk for himself. (She hadn’t really been a part of ‘Back then’, too conflicted to say much. Maybe if he’d paid more attention he would’ve realized sooner.)

Back then. 

Back then, when mother backhanded Daiki so hard his nose bled, so hard that he didn’t come back to the house after making a run for it with his boyfriend. Back then, when Jirou snarled out words dripping with venom, words that Haruka stored in his own arsenal. Back then, when Tobio couldn’t hide how his body jerked around, how his hands fluttered idly, how he’d repeat a phrase that felt good in his mind, things that Jirou and Haruka hounded him mercilessly for, the things that caused mother to be one step from chucking him out into the streets of Tokyo (Jirou was the only favorite, the only ‘success’).

Tobio waited.

Haruka inhaled sharply, fidgeting under his scrutinizing glare. “I shouldn’t have said what I said. But that’s obvious. I was mad at Daiki for some reason that I don’t even really remember, and that’s crappy. I looked up to Jirou because he was mother’s favorite, and I didn’t really care what a shitty person he was, and is. I came after you with him, when I knew you weren’t happy with yourself. All of that was really shitty of me, and I should’ve known better.”

”Yeah. You should’ve.” Tobio muttered, hunching over the volleyball in his lap (there was a hole in one side, leaking air from the rubber middle).

“I apologize.” 

Tobio looked at him blankly, teeth clenched. ”Apology accepted. Even it was a shitty apology.” He tensed, looking away from Haruka as Jun shifted forms.

She was a big cat now, some sort of leopard if Tobio were to guess by her black and brown fur pattern (Fierce, defensive). She spoke up, surprising everyone in the room, “Your apology’s accepted, but you’re not forgiven.” She hissed, eyes narrowed at Haruka (she’d never given up in her defense of Tobio).

His brother held his hands up, bowing his head. “That’s completely fair.”

Manami locked eyes with Jun, causing Tobio’s shoulders to hunch. “He’s not looking for forgiveness. He just wanted to apologize. He’s still learning.” She murmured, words somewhat defensive but her tone crystal clear, as if she were simply stating a fact to a child. (Which they were, to her and Haruka. Children.)

”Okay.” Tobio humphed, about as done with this conversation as he could get. Haruka recognized this, _thankfully_ , and took that as his cue to leave the room. Manami trailed after him, mixed brown fur disappearing around the door jamb.

Haruka halted just in the doorway, looking back at Tobio. Tobio’s eyes flitted across the bridge of his nose, not comfortable enough for eye contact (he never had been). His brother spoke tentatively.

“Do you... want anything for dinner?”

”No.”

”Okay.” And he left, footsteps fading down the hall.

 Jun shifted back into a dog, sliding off of Tobio to fit herself between him and the wall. 

Tobio laid back, staring up at the ceiling, punctured volleyball in his hands.


	2. Dead Reckoning | Yuu & Kazuo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Referenced character death, referenced medical condition, referenced car accident.

**n.** _to find yourself bothered by someone’s death more than you would have expected, as if you assumed they would always be part of the landscape, like a lighthouse you could pass by for years until the night it suddenly goes dark, leaving you with one less landmark to navigate by—still able to find your bearings, but feeling all that much more adrift._

* * *

Yuu crashed onto his bed, hands buried in Katsuki’s spotted fur. He wrapped his weedy arms around her shoulders, holding on tight. The small hyena dæmon cackled as she was ‘captured’, nearly drowned out by the boy’s own laughter. Katsuki was always fun to play with, especially when no-one else was home.

Papa had to leave the house pretty often for his work, and mama liked to go on long walks. Right now, though, both of his parents were out getting a late dinner for everyone, leaving Yuu with his dæmon. Normally, parents wouldn’t leave their seven-year-old and their dæmon at home by themselves, but Katsu preferred predator forms anyway, and Yuu knew a lot of good hiding places, just in case.

Yuu released his hold on Katsuki and flopped onto the floor with a snicker, stretching out spread-eagle to stare at the ceiling for a moment. He glanced at the digital clock on his shelf, blinking at the time displayed. His parents had been gone for a while. Longer than they should’ve been, since they said they were just going to get food. It _was_ raining, but still.

”I’m sure they’re fine!” Katsuki piped up from on his bed, head drooping over the side of his low mattress. “Reo and Taya would beat up anyone who caused ‘em trouble! And mama’s a fighter anyway!” Her form flipped as she rolled onto her back, taking on the shape of a tanuki. She snickered, rolling off of the bed completely to drop onto Yuu’s stomach.

The seven-year-old let out a loud “Oof!” at the impact, but a grin spread across his face, pushing his chubby cheeks up into his eyes. “Yeah! Mama’s the best! Besides you, Katsu-chan!” He ruffled the fur on top of his dæmon’s head, and she yipped with delight at the gesture. “But what about papa? He’s strong, but he’s got uhh, my-myo-tron dystopia or whatever it is,” Yuu pointed out, sitting up.

Katsuki slid down into his lap, head tilted. She thought for a moment, and shrugged. “He’ll be fine too,” She decided, and Yuu nodded, smile returning.

They both jumped up when they heard the door open, the rain outside audible for a split second before the door shut again. The two kids rushed out of their bedroom, Yuu almost tripping over his own feet. His grin widened significantly when he saw who it was. “Papa!” He leapt forward, crashing into his dad’s soaked pant legs. He hopped back after a moment, shaking the gathered water droplets from his hair. He looked up at his dad’s face, disregarding whatever was clutched in his arms, expecting to see Taya perched right on his shoulder too.

But his face fell, when he saw his papa’s. The man’s was scrunched up, as if pained, and his mouth twitched, like he wanted to say something. “Papa...?” Yuu said again, watching as the other went and sat down by the coffee table. Katsuki glanced at Yuu, and he shrugged in return. They slowly walked over to sit down on the opposite side of the table, keeping quiet. It didn’t feel right to be loud right now, for some reason.

“I’m so sorry Yuu.” He jumped when his dad spoke, voice cracked and strained. “I’m so sorry!” He said again, burying his face in his hands. Yuu opened his mouth— “I didn’t see it. I didn’t see the damn signal—“ The man cried, clear tears spilling over his cheeks, and Yuu’s brows furrowed with confusion. Katsuki looked just as puzzled, subconsciously shifting into a ferret shape.

”...Papa. Where’s mama?” The boy asked, barely above a whisper. He couldn’t see mama’s brown hair anywhere, couldn’t hear Reo’s paw-steps across the hardwood. “Where’s mama?” He asked again, glancing between his dad’s face and whatever was cradled in his lap. “Where’s Reo? And Taya?” His voice rose, almost into a panic when his father just let out another choked sob.

”I’m right here, Yuu-chan...” A small, familiar voice came from his papa’s arms, and a hare’s head rose up from behind them. “To answer... Mayu’s gone, Yuu. So is Reo. Someone crashed into the car and...” Taya trailed off, and Yuu slumped down, trying to puzzle out what she meant.

Katsuki seemed to have figured it out before him, based on the way her fur flattened against her thin body. His eyes widened.

No.

No...

Mama’s gone.

_Gone_.

~~_**Dead**_~~.

Yuu stiffened, still as can be. His mama was gone. But she couldn’t be. She was here, at home, at the table, just a few hours ago. But she wasn’t here now. Dad was, but he was breaking down, heart crumbling. Taya looked, sounded, so uncomfortable. She must’ve shifted only a short time earlier. That only happened with great emotional shifts. 

But mama was always supposed to be there. She woke him up every morning, would make him and his papa their breakfast, would go out into the yard to play games, and Reo would do all of that with them. They weren't supposed to leave. She wasn’t supposed to leave. Not for a long, long, _long_ time.

But she did.

And Yuu didn’t know what to do, except grab Katsuki, and hold her tight to his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name of the condition Yuu butchered is “myotonic dystrophy.” Kazuo has type 2, specifically.
> 
> Yuu: Katsuki — Unsettled  
> Mayu: Reo — Sun Bear  
> Kazuo: Taya — Common Squirrel Monkey —> Japanese Hare
> 
> Last Chapter,  
> Tobio: Jun — Unsettled  
> Haruka: Manami — Australian Kelpie  
> (Atsuchi: Chihanaki - Ceylon Magpie)

**Author's Note:**

> The family members are all OCs, sans Hinata Natsu, Tanaka Saeko, Tsukishima Akiteru, Yamamoto Akane, and Haiba Alisa (and Oikawa(?) Takeru).


End file.
